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While the Nazi era was without a doubt one of the most horrific periods in modern times, it inspired works of art that have the ability to expose some of the best and worst that art can achieve.
To this end I will explore the Jewish and Nazi art from the time period, comparing and contrasting the styles and the meanings.
"Like nature, art abhors a vacuum," so this website will follow Hitler and the rise of the Nazi Party through pictures and stories, trying to recreate the environment in which the art was created. The web page "Lest We Forget" is graphic and out of respect to those who perished, is without distraction, the focus here is not the layout but the message contained within.
There is much to learn from the Holocaust, too much for my humble site, however there is a section on Intolerance and Hate Sites, which shows how little we as a society have progressed. This website is designed to foster cooperation by teaching understanding, reminding us of the mistakes of hate and celebrating victories of hope.
Please take your time, try the links and learn as much as you can. The "Student Web Page" site has other websites designed by my fellow students, links are provided. If you find it useful, please recommend it to others and if there are any suggestions please email me at Stocktonnj@hotmail.com.
"Out of our memory...of the Holocaust we must forge an unshakeable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world stand silent, never again will the world...fail to act in time to prevent this terrible crime of genocide....we must harness the outrage of our own memories to stamp out oppression wherever it exists. We must understand that human rights and human dignity are indivisible."
Source: Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, Remarks at the Presentation of the Final Report of the President's Commission on the Holocaust, September 27, 1979.
An enemy like none seen before; atrocities and hate that nearly destroyed a continent. The Nazi Era from 1933-1945 changed the world in ways we have yet to understand.
Hate needs no specific target; it feeds on ignorance, fear and prejudice. The Holocaust was the horrible manifestation of this hate, unimpeded, allowed to prosper and grow maliciously, a cancerous disease on the continent of Europe. In ignorance it flourished, in indifference it gained momentum, in the world's refusal to help, it gained righteousness in the eyes of the perpetrators. The West was criminally negligent in their refusal to accept the truth, religious leaders were traitors to their ideals, and all the while the entire world was unwilling to confront the hate.
It took the combined forces of the world's greatest armies to defeat Hitler's troops. It will take the combined forces of the world to defeat Hitler's legacy of hate.
The screams and cries of those who died simply because of who or what they were, must reverberate in our hearts and minds every time we encounter hate. We must learn the lessons, master the warning signs and celebrate the triumphs of love over hate.
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